Monthly Archives: May 2008

I just had my first “I could leave” thoughts. See, I know that manhattan is not forever, but if I’m living here I don’t want to live in a burrough – I did not move to New York not to live in New York. I wonder how long I’ll stay here. I’m not quite ready to move, but I bet I move by the time i’m 30. Wow. 5 more years here seems like forever, but the last 1 went SO fast! I miss affordable housing, I miss a driveway, I miss a car and parking, but mostly I think I miss a livingroom that I could lounge in and an apartment I could walk around in. I bet it wouldn’t take much to get me to move. There’s a boy who is definitely a big piece of what is keeping me here.

I’ve never understood people who hate their jobs and are miserable. The only reason they go to work is to pay a bill. Don’t people want to enjoy life? Shouldn’t one strive to achieve things in order to be happy? I went to college. Then I went to grad school to focus more on what I enjoy. Then I picked up and moved across the country (for the second time in my life) in order to be in a place that is better for me. How is it that people can be born somewhere and just get comfortable? I don’t understand. How is it that people don’t care to better their lives through education whether it be school, traveling, meeting people, etc.

There is a woman here I work with who is the epitome of that person. She was probably born on Staton Island, went to school there, maybe went to college there (if she went to college), and got her own place there. She probably lives 2 blocks from her parents and I don’t think she’s married. She comes to work in track suits and tennis shoes. When she’s not wearing that she’s wearing ill-fitting jeans (kapris for summer), tennis shoes or sandals, and a tshirt. She’s constantly going outside to smoke and she drags her feet when she walks. This leaves me wondering just how productive she really can be an how happy she really is with her life. If one is unhappy I lack the understanding of why they don’t desire to change it. I guess there are a lot of people out there who are unlike me.

Today is the first of our summer Fridays. We are given 6 do divide up over the summer from now until Labor Day. Since someone from the team needs to be here to keep fires from starting, we typically get every other Friday off. Last night was our first big rooftop party of the summer. There was also a lingerie party among others. When I got here this morning it was so quiet and uninhabited. The city in the summer is such a different place. People are always outside instead of inside their small, cramped apartments. It’s weird to come to work where it’s silent and no one is around. It seems like everyone leaves the city for the weekend during the summer to go to the beach or wherever. I want to take weekend trips this summer. I want to go to Boston and DC, maybe Philly, maybe Maine…whatever, I just want to take trips! I’m so excited about summer…it’s finally getting beautiful out!

This morning on the way to work I decided that you can tell how much of a douche bag a guy is by his umbrella. I’m all for the small, black umbrella. What I am not for is the guy who looks like he’s wearing the best clothes he owns (it’s raining!) and carrying a golf umbrella he could fit most of his family under. Inevitably, because these guys have the largest umbrellas, they seem to think everyone else has to get out of their way. What makes the most sense to me when the sidewalk gets crowded and someone needs to lift their umbrella a little higher, it should be him. He’s the one taking up the most space, and he’s the one who won’t suffer when he lifts his umbrella a little further away from him because he has the most coverage.

On top of that, I don’t quite understand why one needs a golf umbrella on the streets of New York. I can understand having it, but it annoys me that it gets used on the walk to work. Get a small umbrella, one that does not force me out from under mine when I’m near you. Be considerate. But, in the end, I suppose he won’t be considerate because you can tell, afterall, just by looking at him that he is a douchebag.

So I’ve been going to the gym 5 or 6 times a week for about a month and a half now. I’m just finally beginning to see a slight difference. I have not, however, lost a single pound! Granted, I don’t have a lot of weight to lose, so it will be more difficult for me and yes, you gain muscle, which weighs more than fat, but – come on – not one single pound! I am floating between 132 and 135. I feel like I’m at that point where I’ve gained the muscle and my body has gotten used to working out more intensely, so I should start dropping…maybe? I don’t know, I think 6 weeks of working out is about that turning point where your body has built up muscle, your metabolism is up, and you start to just drop weight. At least in my experience, that’s the way my body works. So, I’m looking to start dropping 2 or 3 pounds a week for a couple weeks. I don’t think I will be able to drop below 122ish though. I don’t have a lot of body fat, so I don’t know that I can lose more than 10 pounds. 10 pounds is a lot for a girl my size…but it is less than 10% my weight.

So one day last week I was stretching, cause I love to stretch, and did some lower ab exercises. I am very cautious about the ab exercises I do because I have a hernia between my top two abs (it feels like the glands in your neck that get swollen when you’re sick), and the dr. said it doesn’t need to be operated on at this point unless it really starts to bother me. The only time it really bothers me is when I work out my upper abs, so I just don’t. Anyway, on my way to the locker room I stopped to ask one of the trainers what would be some good exercises for me to do, because I feel like I’m limited and stagnant. He asked me if I’d be around Saturday at noon to work out with him. I said sure. He said that way he can get my full range of motion and figure out a good work out for me. So, I went and he kicked my abs’ ass for an hour and a half. I ended up having to stop because I got nausious. My abs didn’t hurt and didn’t seem to be tired, it was the rest of me that got worn out. Then Sunday when I woke up I was a little tight. By Sunday night it hurt to laugh/sneeze/cough/go from sitting to standing. Yesterday was slightly worse. Today it’s getting better, but I’m still so sore. It’s awesome! My top abs are sore too! I haven’t worked them out in probably 3 and a half years (I’ve had the hernia for about 4), but he knew exercises I could do that didn’t strain the hernia. So awesome! He said he’ll call me when he has a cancellation…so I might get to work out with him again this week. Can’t wait!